• Yurgenst@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I can 100% promise this cost less than getting a pilots license, especially if you want to fly jets. Most people will pay over $10,000 just to get their private pilot license.

      • CptEnder@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Yeah and the $10,000 is just for single prop. ATPL costs like $70-100k so yeah like Yurgenst said, this setup is definitely cheaper.

        Also this isn’t the craziest setup I’ve seen. On Reddit years ago I saw a F-16 pilot recreate his entire cockpit complete with the FLIR displays and a real F-16 yoke but managed to make it collapsible. So he could stow it into a chest like thing that his wife approved of haha. He was like “I just really love my job, I want to keep doing it when I’m not working”.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      This person is probably a CFI, and simulator time is always cheaper than actual flight time. 25% of your flight time can be in a simulator when learning to fly.

        • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Fuel and maintenance are the big ones. I had a CFI who owned his own old Cessna 150 and would teach me for free. I just had to pay for gas and maintenance, and it was still almost $200 an hour. Aviation is expensive!

        • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          I’ve seen certified simulators that are nothing more than a 27" monitor, a yoke, peddles, and a throttle control. That set-up looks better than any certified simulator that I’ve ever seen.

          • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
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            10 months ago

            You are completely correct. Most certified simulators aren’t used for familiarisation training but basic manoeuvres. Buying a certified simulator is often extremely expensive and getting one you’ve built certified is insanely expensive and very, very complicated (which is why they often come as pre-assembled kits that flight schools can line up themselves).

            I would wager one of my children that this set up isn’t certified.

            • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              I wouldn’t bet against you. This setup looks like it is for a jet, probably a commercial airliner. It seems unlikely that anyone is getting certified flight instructions for a 737 in some dude’s dining room.

    • FigMcLargeHuge@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      There’s also the issue of medical. Someone might not be able to medically get a pilots license, but can pull up a chair. It might not have anything to do with money.

    • Wodge@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I get this attitude towards my sim racing. The amount of Bentlys I’ve smashed up would be worth billions, and my simrig isn’t even 1% of that.

    • brianorca@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      They might already have a pilot license. This setup costs way less per hour than actual flying. And it lets you try things that would be risky in a real plane. Or you can practice bad weather or equipment failures safely, so you can better handle a real situation if it occurs.